~*~Somebody Should Have Taught Him~*~

This is dedicated to all of those out there who have lost a child.  Whether it was to drunk driving or careless driving. I first read this poem in a Chicken Soup for the Soul book and couldn't stop crying.  Even now, it still makes me cry.  Think before you act, because your actions can harm others if you aren't truly careful.  Don't Drink and Drive! 

I went to a birthday party
but I remembered what you said.
You told me not to drink at all,
so I had a Sprite Instead.
I felt proud of myself,
the way you said I would,
that I didn't choose to drink and drive,
thought some friends said I should.
I knew I made a healthy choice and
your advice to me was right
as the party finally ended
and the kids drove out of sight.
I got into my own car,
sure to get home in one piece,
never knowing what was coming,
something I expected least.
Now I'm lying on the pavement.
I can hear the policeman say,
"The kid that caused this wreck was drunk."
His voice seems far away.
My own blood is all around me,
as I try hard not to cry.
I can hear the paramedic say,
"This girl is going to die."
I'm sure the guy had no idea,
while he was flying high,
because he chose to drink and drive
that I would have to die.
So why do people do it,
knowing that it ruins lives?
But now the pain is cutting me
like a hundred stabbing knives.
Tell my sister not to be afraid,
tell Daddy to be brave,
and when I go to heaven to
put "Daddy's Girl" on my grave.
Someone Should Have Taught Him
that it's wrong to drink and drive
Maybe if his mom and dad had,
I'd still be alive.
My breath is getting shorter,
I'm really getting scared.
These are my final moments,
and I'm so unprepared.
I wish that you could hold me, Mom,
as I lie here and die
I wish that I could say
I Love You and Good-bye.

~*~Retold by Jane Watkins~*~